It's that time of year when you look your lover in the eyes, feel that stirring in your stomach, and hear you inner voice ask: "Is this the best I can do?"

Please, I don't mean to sound, well, mean.

It's just that in these days that champion immediacy and disposability, somehow interpersonal relations have become just another commodity.

Having mused on these thoughts in the shower, my inbox was kissed with an e-mail that told me 1 in 10 relationships among 35- to 55-year-olds will end on or before Valentine's Day.

It seems that 62 percent of women will do the dumping, while a mere 55 percent of men will rise from the couch (or not) to put their relationships to the sword.

According to a survey, that is.

Could this be because February 14 puts our love lives into sharp relief? Could it be because restaurants and florists take this opportunity to gouge pockets within an inch of tearing trouser legs?

Perhaps it's both.

This utterly mesmerizing survey reveals that men are becoming more adept at online dating. Indeed, one in four won't leave the couch to find love. It also reveals that men just don't want to spend the moula to hula anymore.

Of those surveyed, 96 percent said they wouldn't spend anywhere near $1,000 in order to find their perfect match.

How very chill-infused men have become.

Indeed, this survey suggested that a mere 65 percent of men want to be in a relationship at all, in contrast to 76 percent of women.

My eyes still being blurry from the week's pressure, it took me awhile to realize who had sponsored this survey.

It was only when I read one conclusion -- that men are twice as likely to prefer an Eastern European accent than are women -- that I focused on the sponsor as being AnastasiaDate.com.

The site offers a heady promise: "The World's Most Beautiful Women."

This made me wonder whether the sentence was incomplete, the full version being "The World's Most Beautiful Women From Murmansk."

The general tenor of the site gives the impression that its target market is somewhat skewed. And then there's the idea that this is "your fastest way to a stack of replies."

I assume this is somewhat similar to having a binder full of women.

Still, the survey was performed by the grave-faced diggers at Harris Interactive, so I have to assume that its methodology was sound.

Of course, the boon that this appears to give to online dating is obvious. Business will surely be booming this week.
Even the most couch-bound can -- at least theoretically -- find some information about whom they might ultimately meet in person.

They can make their sedentary judgments before agreeing to meet anyone at all. This, of course, assumes that this anyone looks like their pictures and has a vague interest in telling the truth.

The saddest part, though, as relationships flourish or crumble this week, is that respondents' biggest complaint is that it's far too difficult to meet people in person.

Could that be because everyone's nose is permanently parked in a gadget?

About the author

Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world.
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